


A Tai/Qrow Fluffy Moment

by Lilly_Bei_Stark



Category: RWBY
Genre: Deleted Scene, Fluff, M/M, Qrow needs love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilly_Bei_Stark/pseuds/Lilly_Bei_Stark
Summary: This is what I imagine happened after Ruby woke up at home after the battle for Beacon. Qrow and Tai have some time together.





	A Tai/Qrow Fluffy Moment

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a RWBY fanfic, but it was taking over my brain. Please forgive the writing. I'm exhausted and wanted to get it uploaded tonight, so I'm not entirely sure if my brain is too fuzzy to pick out flaws in the story.
> 
> (Edit: I tried to fix the spelling errors and odd phrasing. Hope it reads smoother now.)

Qrow sighed as he stepped out of Ruby's room and closed the door behind him. He touched the flask at his hip, then shook his head. He still had to deal with Taiyang. He'd better keep on his toes just in case. He slowly made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Tai was busily making tea and getting out trays to take to the girls. He didn't turn around to look at Qrow, though the raven haired man knew he had heard him. Qrow leaned back against the wall to wait for the blonde to acknowledge him. It didn't take long. 

"I don't appreciate being kept in the dark, you know." Taiyang stated tersely, turning around to look at him. He crossed his strong, tan arms over his chest. Qrow didn't let his eyes flicker down to the motion, forcing his red eyes onto Tai's blue. 

"I'm trying to keep you and the girls out of this." He replied, his voice low. Taiyang's eyes narrowed at him. 

"And yet you're telling Ruby things you're not telling me." He scowled. Qrow raised his hand to rub at the back of his neck. They'd had similar conversations before. They both knew it was a dead horse, not worth beating. 

"I was telling Ruby about something Ozpin saw in her.... Stuff she should know about herself. And I had to answer her questions." He sighed again. "She had a right to know what happened after she lost consciousness at the battle." His eyes fell to the kitchen floor; Tai's impeccably clean floor. He remembered days when there was dust on this floor. In the days after they lost Summer. It had taken Tai a while to be okay again. Qrow still worried about the other man's depression in the long days and nights when he couldn't be there for him. Days and nights which were more often than he'd like. 

"I know why you keep me in the dark, Qrow.... I just don't like it." Taiyang huffed. "Just like I don't like the danger my daughters have been in, even though I'd never stand in the way of them being the huntresses they want to be." He raked a hand back through his blonde locks. 

"They're too stubborn to let you if you tried... Something they probably learned from their father." Qrow said dryly, the corner of his mouth lifting up in a wry smirk. 

"And their uncle." Tai countered, smiling at him. That smile melted a little of the ice in Qrow's heart. It always had. That was a secret he kept tightly locked away. One he couldn't afford to let Taiyang know. Just one of many, really, but the one he had to hide most of all. 

"Can't deny that." Qrow pushed off the wall. "Well, I'd better go... I'll visit tomorrow; see if I can help cheer the girls up." He ducked his head a bit, turning slowly towards the door. 

He didn't make it very far before Tai's hand tightly gripped him at the elbow. He cast curious eyes back over his shoulder. There was a serious frown back on Taiyang's face. 

"You don't have to go, Qrow. You _can_ stay over for the night." He said earnestly. 

Qrow felt a painful flutter in his chest. "You know I can't... My semblance-"

"I lived in the same room as you for years when we were at school Qrow. It's not that bad. You can stay _one_ night." Tai cut him off. The hand on his arm tightened a little bit, weakening the huntsman's resolve. Tai seemed to sense he was gaining some ground and took a step closer. Qrow could smell his aftershave at this distance and the closeness had him tensing and relaxing in equal measures. "Go take a shower and then take a nap in my bed. The sheets are clean. And god only knows how long it's been since you slept. I'll wake you when dinner is ready." 

Qrow found himself nodding mutely. Taiyang let go of his arm to push him lightly in the direction of the stairs. As he made his way towards them, Qrow cast a fleeting look at the door. He really _should_ leave. He was bad luck. But then he glanced back at the kitchen and saw blue eyes watching him, commanding him to do as he was told. For once he didn't feel rebellious enough to disobey. 

He stepped into the bathroom and locked the door before starting to peel off his clothes. He rested his weapon against the wall, within reach of the shower. 

Looking at himself in the mirror made him grimace. He was looking more scraggly than ever. He was muscular, but a little too thin and scarred everywhere. More nights spent on the ground or in a tree than in a bed contributed to his hunched posture. And he had dark circles under his eyes from pushing himself past the breaking point. 

He shook his head, moving to turn on the shower. When he folded his clothes on the counter and slid into the warm spray of the shower, a sigh of complete bliss left him. He'd almost forgotten what warm showers were like. There weren't many to be found on the road. His crimson eyes closed, leaving him to the warm water and his thoughts. 

He was staying the night... That was weird. Really really weird. He didn't spend nights with people he cared about these days. He was too afraid of what it would do to them. The last time he had stayed over in this house... Well it had to be the night before Summer went on the hunt that she never came back from. They had been reminiscing. Qrow had stayed too late and let his friends convince him to stay the night. Then Summer paid the price for his selfishness. Qrow would never forgive himself for that, even if Tai refused to blame him; to hate him like he should. 

That was just another reason why Qrow was helplessly and unrequitedly in love with Taiyang Xiao-Long. He had been charmed by the blonde when they were in school, but settled for friendship when he saw how obviously Tai was falling for his sister. Tai was a real ladies man. He wouldn't have any interest in Qrow. And the man had likely suffered the most from Qrow's bad luck, so Qrow was lucky enough that Tai let him stay in his life. 

He gave a frustrated, wordless grumble and picked up the soap, something with a pine scent that had to be Tai's, to wash. He scrubbed his skin and hair then rinsed and shut off the shower. Hair in his eyes, Qrow reached for the towel to dry himself off. Passing the towel over his face and hair, it took him a moment to notice the difference in the room. He lowered the towel to look and confirm that, yes, Tai had snuck in somehow and stolen his clothes. They were replaced in the counter by a tan t-shirt and a pair of soft brown sleep pants. 

An exasperated laugh passed his lips before he finished drying off and picked up the clothes. They were Tai's, obviously, and well worn. Qrow frowned slightly, realizing that Taiyang had taken his boxers along with the rest of his clothes. Said clothes were probably in the wash. Yet another way for Tai to keep him from sneaking out of the house. It looked like he really had no choice but to stay. Or he could try sleeping as a crow outside, but he'd tried that before and accidentally changed back in his sleep. Landing on the rocky ground from that incident had not been graceful or painless. 

Giving up any hope of escape, Qrow dressed, took his blade, and padded barefoot down the hall to Tai's bedroom. He put his weapon against the wall and looked at the bed. It was an inviting bed, with muted blue and orange tones on every comfy pillow and blanket. Qrow sat down on the edge. Several trains of thought telling him how bad of an idea this was crashed together and disappeared under the heavy pleasure of comfort. He found himself falling sideways, head hitting the pillow, and was asleep before he could even think about getting under the blankets. 

It was dark when he woke up. Judging by the quality of the darkness, it was after midnight, but not quite close to dawn. He had probably slept through Tai's attempt to wake him for dinner. He must have been more exhausted than he thought. 

As the fog over his mind lifted, Qrow became aware of someone breathing softly behind him. He tensed. He was a Tai's house. So logically, the person beside him in Tai's bed was probably Tai. That didn't make him any less tense. Looking over confirmed his suspicions. Taiyang was sleeping lightly under the covers. At some point, he or Qrow or both had maneuvered the raven haired man under the blankets as well. It was almost... domestic. 

A pang of longing shot through Qrow's heart and he swallowed hard around the sudden knot in his throat. Yeah, this was bad. He needed to leave. This was something he couldn't have and something he shouldn't let himself get used to. He sat up tentatively, trying not to wake Taiyang. 

What a lost cause that was. Qrow knew better. A well rested and well trained huntsman like Tai would notice someone moving around his personal space. Tai's hand shot out and grabbed Qrow around the bicep; his accuracy uncanny for someone whose eyes were closed. 

"Where do you think you're going?" Tai grumbled sleepily, his face still pressed into the pillow. One of his eyes opened to a narrow slit. Qrow swallowed. 

"Thought you'd want your bed back." He rasped, trying to inject a teasing tone into his words. It only half-worked, with the sluggishness of sleep dulling his mind and his tongue. 

"It fits two just fine." Tai slurred, closing his eyes again tightly. 

"If you need something to cuddle, I'll get you a teddy bear." Qrow said dryly. His heart was beating high in his throat. He couldn't sleep in a bed with Tai. He had to maintain a line of separation between them, or else Tai would find out about his feelings for him. Qrow couldn't handle it if he was pushed away from Tai and the girls. They were his family. 

"Cut the crap. You need sleep and if I let you leave this room, I have no guarantee you'll rest. So lay down and close your eyes, Qrow." Taiyang told him sternly. His eyes flashed open, steely blue and clear despite having just woken up. 

"Tai.... I can't..." Qrow looked away from his friend's sharp gaze. "My semblance-" 

"Oh don't start that shit again. It'll be fine." 

"No it won't!" Qrow hissed, starting to panic. He had to get out of here. His semblance wasn't the only reason, but it was the only one he was telling Tai. "Last time I stayed the night, Summer...." He didn't finish the sentence. Didn't need to. He knew there would be hurt flashing through Tai's eyes. Pain that he had caused. 

Qrow didn't expect Tai to use the grip on his bicep to leverage himself up while pushing Qrow down. In a flash, he was pinned, Tai's hands on his shoulders as the blonde knelt above him. 

" _That's_ what you've been thinking?! You've been blaming yourself for that this whole time?!" He demanded. Qrow tensed, his fight or flight response making his heart pound against the cage of his ribs like a trapped bird, and man did he hate the irony of that. He didn't reply to the question, knowing either way, Tai knew his answer. The blonde's hands tightened on Qrow's shoulders. "Summer died on a hunt Qrow. She was a huntress. It's what she did. What we all do! It comes with the territory, so don't you _dare_ blame yourself for that!" 

Qrow looked away from Taiyang, his heart clenching painfully. "That doesn't mean my bad luck didn't contribute... Bad luck is all I've ever contributed to the party and I'm tired of it biting people I care about in the ass!" 

"Well I'm tired of seeing someone I care about work and drink himself to death!" Tai snarled. "Bad enough I lost Raven and Summer, but I have to lose _everyone_ I love!?" He gave Qrow a sharp shake. 

Crimson eyes grew wide and the raven haired man frozen. It took him a long moment to force words to his lips. "Um... what?"

Tai sighed, leaning back so that he wasn't bearing down on Qrow so aggressively. His hands lifted from the other man's shoulders and curled into fists on the bedspread. 

"Look... I know you're more of a ladies man and it's probably weird hearing this from me of all people... But damnitt Qrow! I lost Raven. You and Summer were there for me and even then, I had feelings for you both. But you always tried to keep your distance and Oz kept you running all the time and things just clicked with Summer. Then after she died... You were still there for me. Even when you tried to keep your distance, you still came and picked up the pieces. Helped me raise the girls. Damn, Qrow, if I had ever thought I would have had a chance with you, I... But what I'm saying is... I can't lose you too." Tai gave Qrow a pleading look. "Don't make me lose you too." 

Qrow stared into the glossy blue eyes in shock. Tai looked so resolute and so very sad. Qrow tentatively reached up, ignoring his self preservation instincts for once, and cupped Tai's face. All manner of responses flitted through his mind, most of them sarcastic, but then Taiyang tilted his head into Qrow's hand and his mind was made up. 

"Maybe I wouldn't be so afraid of my bad luck hurting you... if I weren't so in love with you." He said softly, his rough voice almost a rasp. Tai's eyes widened. A smile lit his face and he leaned down quickly. He kissed Qrow fast and hard, being thorough enough to leave the other man breathless. When he drew back, Tai stared down into hazy crimson eyes. 

"Any bad luck you bring me is irrelevant compared to how badly I need you around, Qrow." He murmured to him. "Loving someone is about taking the bad with the good." 

"There's a lot more bad with me than with other people Tai." Qrow lowered his eyes regretfully. Taiyang leaned close and stole another deep kiss from him. 

"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes. But I'd rather have a little extra bad luck than not have you at all." Qrow's heart swelled at the words, and it was all he could do to smother a sob of shocked joy. Instead, he buried his head in Tai's neck and wrapped his arms tightly around the blonde's broad shoulders. Tai chuckled, pressing a kiss to his neck and holding him even closer. "I love you Qrow."

"I love you too, Tai."


End file.
